Relationships between Local Contributions and the Success of a Federal School Improvement Program. Draft.

Chabotar, Kent John; And Others

To gauge one component of the cost effectiveness of the National Institute of Education's Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program, researchers compared participating schools' use of direct federal resources with their use of local resources. They also examined the relationship of RDU costs to the program's outcomes at the school level. Data were gathered on a sample of 22 schools through financial audits and interviews with teachers and administrators. The results showed that an average of 80 percent of the RDU program's total costs were "inkind" costs resulting from the provision of local resources, mostly donated staff time. Statistical analysis indicated that, while total program costs did not correlate with any measure of RDU success, the percentage of locally contributed resources was positively associated with successful RDU outcomes, especially concerning the program's organizational impact on the schools, its developmental impact on school staff, and the school's incorporation of educational innovations. (Author/RW)